Ingredients
Orange buttermilk cake
Orange syrup
Method
1.Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced). Grease and flour a 20cm baba cake pan; tap pan and shake out excess flour.
2.Beat butter, rind and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until light and creamy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, beat until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, stir in the almonds then flour and buttermilk in two batches.
3.Beat egg whites in a clean small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold into batter in 2 batches. Spread mixture into the prepared pan.
4.Bake cake for about 45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Stand 5 minutes. Tap and gently shake cake in pan to release from the side before turning onto a wire rack over a tray.
5.Orange syrup: Meanwhile, remove the rind from one of the oranges with a zester. (Or, remove rind with a vegetable peeler, avoiding white pith. Cut rind into long thin strips.) Squeeze juice from oranges; you will need ¾ cup (180ml). Combine rind, juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a simmer; simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes.
6.Pour hot syrup over hot cake. Pour syrup collected in the tray into jug; repeat until all the syrup is used.
7.Serve warm or cooled with thick yoghurt or ice-cream, if desired.
We’ve also tested this recipe with a reduced-fat dairy spread which works well. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can combine 2 teaspoons lemon juice with ½ cup (125ml) reduced-fat milk.
Note
